Control of Ticks and Mites

In this article we will discuss about the control of ticks and mites.

A. General Control:

In general, ticks and mites can be controlled by three following methods:

1. Insecticidal control:

Great success has been obtained in destroying ticks and mites by the use of modern insecticides like chlorodane, dieldrin, lindane, malathion and toxaphane at rates of 1 to 2 lbs. (about 0.5-1 kg) per acre. Either dusting or spray formulation can be employed. A thorough knowledge of the habits of a given species of tick or mite must be obtained before planning a control pro­gramme.

2. Environmental control:

Cracks and crevices in ground, particularly near buildings and paths should be filled. Animal hosts should be reduced.

3. Protection of workers:

Exposed workers should be encouraged to wear protective clothing impregnated with an insect-repellent. The best repellents against ticks and mites are indalone, diethyltoluamide and benzyl benzoate.

Further, persons working in tick-infested areas should be trained to examine themselves for ticks and to remove promptly any ticks found on their body. This is achieved by painting the ticks with petro-paraffin or a camel-hair brush with which the dead ticks can be brushed off the skin.

B. Specific Control:

1. Ornithodoros tick:

O. moubata trans­mitting African relapsing fever may be controlled by the following ways:

i. Ornithodoros infested areas like infested huts, caves, shacks and ground areas should be avoided if possible.

ii. If it is necessary to go into such areas, a repellent, e.g., diethyl toluamide, should be applied to socks and trousers. This repellent should also be used in all infected areas for a long period as the ticks continue to harbour the spirochaetes for many months.

iii. In areas of recreational importance, area wise programmes of tick and rodent control is necessary. The latter without the former is useless and even dangerous, since ticks deprived of their usual hosts will turn avidly to human occupants of cottages for blood.

iv. Some of the useful measures in the control of ticks and other small host animals infesting huts, cottages are: all crevices, knotholes, and other points of ingress should be closed; all doors and windows should be tight filting; the chimney should be covered to keep out bats and rodents.

v. Rodents’ reproduction should not be encouraged.

vi. Old tree snags in the vicinity which may harbour nesting squirrels and chipmunks should be destroyed. Nests in such snags have been found to harbour many relapsing fever ticks in all stages of development.

2. Chigger mite:

The proven vectors of scrub typhus are T. akamushi and T. deliensis which can be controlled by adopting some procedures like:

i. Chigger-infested areas must be located carefully. The mites may be detected by placing pieces of black cardboard edgewise on the ground at various intervals, in chiggers- infected areas. If chiggers are present, they will, within a few minutes, crawl up the cardboard and congregate at its top edge. The mites can then be captured and destroyed.

ii. Chigger infestations in lawns, gardens, and the general premises can be wiped out by applying suitable chemicals either as a spray or a dust to the infested areas. Chlorodane, toxaphen and lindane are generally recom­mended for this purpose.

iii. Repellents like diethyl toluamide, dimethyl phthalate, dimethyl carbamate, benzyl benzoate etc. may be applied to clothings of persons present in chigger infested areas and to arms or legs that usually do not remain covered by clothing.

iv. If persons in chigger infested areas are without the protection of repellents, they should bathe as soon as possible after returning. If welts have formed, a dab of antiseptic applied to each will kill the chigger.